Can SQL 2008 coexist with SQL2005?

I have a SQL 2005 installed on my laptop with Windows XP Media Center Edition with the following components:

Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio 9.00.1399.00
Microsoft Analysis Services Client Tools 2005.090.1399.00
Microsoft Data Access Components (MDAC) 2000.085.1117.00 (xpsp_sp2_rtm.040803-2158)
Microsoft MSXML 2.6 3.0 4.0 5.0 6.0
Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0.2900.2180
Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0.50727.1318
Operating System 5.1.2600

Is upgrade the only option or can SQL 2008 can exist with SQL2005?

Any help in instlling this would be helpful.

(Jayaram Krishnaswamy@.discussions.microsoft.com) writes: > I have a SQL 2005 installed on my laptop with Windows XP Media Center > Edition with the following components: > > > > Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio 9.00.1399.00 > Microsoft Analysis Services Client Tools 2005.090.1399.00 > Microsoft Data Access Components (MDAC) 2000.085.1117.00 > (xpsp_sp2_rtm.040803-2158) > Microsoft MSXML 2.6 3.0 4.0 5.0 6.0 > Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0.2900.2180 > Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0.50727.1318 > Operating System 5.1.2600 > > > > Is upgrade the only option or can SQL 2008 can exist with SQL2005? You should be able to do a side-by-side installation, since you only have the client tools. But I strongly recommend that you install Katmai, or any other beta software, on a virtual machine, or a machine that you can afford to scrap and reformat. And do definitely not upgrade, if you want to keep the machine. By the way, I notice that you have the RTM version of the SQL 2005 tools. I would recommend that you get hold of SP2 and install that. It does bring quite a few improvements. -- Erland Sommarskog, SQL Server MVP, esquel@.sommarskog.se Books Online for SQL Server 2005 at http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/sql/2005/downloads/books.mspx Books Online for SQL Server 2000 at http://www.microsoft.com/sql/prodinfo/previousversions/books.mspx|||Thamk you very much. Could you rpovide me with links for setting up on a virtual machine?|||(Jayaram Krishnaswamy@.discussions.microsoft.com) writes: > Thamk you very much. Could you rpovide me with links for setting up on a > virtual machine? It's not difficult at all. There's two products on the market I know of, Virtual PC from Microsoft and VMware. I stick to VMware myself. You can download VMware worksation from http://www.vmware.com. The most difficult part is probably the amount for the license... Once you have it installed, you use the wizard to create a new machine. To install the OS, just insert the OS in your DVD player, and VMware will pick it up. From there, it's very much like a regular install. VMware also has a VMware Player which is free. I'm uncertain whether it's good for creating new machines. Virtual PC comes with MSDN, so financially you may find it more attractive. I never used VPC myself, but rumour has it that VMware is a little more able. A tip when you set up your virtual machine, you first install the OS, activates it, and also add other programs that you don't want to be without. Before you actually slap any beta software on it, clone the machine, and install the beta software on the clone. That is, keep a template machine, so that you don't have to install the OS for each new CTP that comes out. A second tip is to make sure that you have sufficient with memory in your host machine. 1.5 GB is a minimum, if you give 250 MB to the virtual machine. -- Erland Sommarskog, SQL Server MVP, esquel@.sommarskog.se Books Online for SQL Server 2005 at http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/sql/2005/downloads/books.mspx Books Online for SQL Server 2000 at http://www.microsoft.com/sql/prodinfo/previousversions/books.mspx|||

Thanks for the advice. Much obliged